The 60 seats that flipped in 2019
Conservative candidates switched the most seats across the country, at 27, stealing mainly from the Liberals in the Western provinces and often winning by the widest margins. The Bloc Québécois was next, grabbing 22 seats from the other parties, mostly at the NDP’s expense, taking 10 of the 14 seats the NDP lost in the province. […]
As Conservatives squabble, governing Liberals trying to lay low for maximum political advantage, say Liberals
While the Conservatives fight over losing last month’s federal election, the Liberals are trying to keep a low profile and don’t want to interrupt the Conservative bloodletting. “That’s the whole point,” said one top Liberal with a laugh, in a not for attribution-based interview with The Hill Times in order to be candid. “The longer it […]
The dark sides of conservatism
MEXICO CITY—There is a great deal that is interesting and informative in Brian Lee Crowley’s recent piece for the National Post “Right Now: Why Conservatives Are Grateful For The Society We Have.” Crowley claims that the key feature distinguishing conservatism is that it is not a rationalistic theory of how the world is. Rather, it […]
Singh’s not-so-great expectations
OAKVILLE, ONT.—English poet Alexander Pope once said, “Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.” If that’s the case, then Canada’s federal New Democrats must certainly be feeling blessed these days. After all, given the consistent inability of their leader, Jagmeet Singh, to gain any traction with voters, New Democrats were […]
More than wishful thinking needed for this Parliament to accomplish anything
OTTAWA—There’s been a lot of talk since the election about how voters sent federal parties a message that they need to be more co-operative and work together for the benefit of the country after a year of nasty political rancour. That’s as a good a takeaway as any from an election that reduced Prime Minister […]
Post-election, Conservatives need to let the truth be spoken, and heard
OTTAWA—A lot has been made of the fact that former cabinet minister and Conservative heavy weight Peter MacKay has offered his opinion publicly on what happened to the Conservative Party during the recent election, and on the way forward. It is unfairly assumed, and simple de facto Canadian political logic, that whatever MacKay says must […]
In the family: two new MPs follow parents’ path to politics
When Lindsay Mathyssen won decisively in London-Fanshawe, Ont., on Oct. 21, she not only kept the seat in the New Democrat fold, but in her family as well for the fifth-straight Parliament, making history in the process. The longtime parliamentary aide said she has “big shoes to fill” following in her mother Irene Mathyssen’s footsteps, […]
The rime of Andrew Scheer
I learned about the propensity of Canadian Conservatives to devour their leaders the way children absorb the alphabet, Grimm’s Fairy Tales, or what snow is—in a way so foundational that I cannot recall how old I was when I knew that Dalton Camp was a name not to be mentioned in the presence of my […]
Pharmacare should be No. 1 priority for Trudeau this Parliament, says former Liberal health minister
As the Liberal government continues deliberating over cabinet positions and preparing for a minority government, the NDP has come out with a bold proclamation on its plans and goals for the 43rd Parliament, with pharmacare taking centre stage. Ujjal Dosanjh, a former premier of British Columbia and health minister under Paul Martin’s Liberal government, said […]
‘We’re very resourceful’: Green MP Jenica Atwin on how she’ll punch above her weight this Parliament
Newly elected Green Party MP Jenica Atwin says despite fewer resources, she’s confident her team’s “passion,” resourcefulness, and co-operation will help her, and the rest of the Green caucus, make a mark on the 43rd Parliament. “I have all the faith in the world in my chief of staff and the other staff members who […]
